Antibiotics“I did not invent penicillin. Nature did that. I only discovered it by accident.” Sir Dr. Alexander Fleming Few medical discoveries impacted life expectancy and quality of life more than antibiotics. Before their discovery, simple wounds were often fatal. For example, during the US Civil War, most soldiers eventually died from infection, not from their … Continue reading "Antibiotics"
Stock IndexStock indexes set objective benchmarks for how a stock should perform against peers. Reduces the risk of stock investing. Farmer turned reporter turned media mogul Charles Dow, with reporter Edward Jones, launched a stock newsletter in 1883. Titled the Customers’ Afternoon Letter, they tracked issues affecting the stock market. Dow’s letter gained a reputation for … Continue reading "Stock Index"
Gas Extraction from Coal & Gas Powered LanternCombining gas extracted from coal into a lantern, then into lights, allowed for non-candle bright lights. This literally lit up the industrial era. Factories could function at night and people could stay awake longer. Gas lighting vastly increased productivity. In 1667, Thomas Shirley published a report describing flammable gas naturally seeping from coal. In 1684, … Continue reading "Gas Extraction from Coal & Gas Powered Lantern"
Mass Market Broadband Internet (DSL & Cable Modems)Broadband definitions continually change, but in 2017 the US definition of broadband is 25Mbps (megabytes per second) downstream and 3Mbps upstream. This is fast enough to stream music, movies, web surf, and read blurbs on innowiki. Background Early internet users used slow dial-up modems. The last mass-produced dial-up model ran at 56Kbps, about 1/450th the … Continue reading "Mass Market Broadband Internet (DSL & Cable Modems)"
Multinational CorporationA Nightmare, in Real Life Picture the entire Fortune 500 combined into one large company. The company manufactures everything imaginable with monopolies in cotton, silk, dyes, salts, spices, and tea. Not only do they have near-monopolies in gunpowder but also weaponizes opium, giving away free samples to encourage dependency. Basically, their only moral is to … Continue reading "Multinational Corporation"
Photography1816 Nicéphore Niépce The Niépce brothers were hell-bent on creating earth-shattering technology and they did so, twice. First, they created the internal combustion engine. Their native France was still adjusting its socioeconomic climate after the revolution so Claude went to England trying to commercialize the engine. During that time, Nicéphore invented photography. This brings us … Continue reading "Photography"
Wireless Remote Control1898 Nikola Tesla Only four years after the invention of radio and over a decade before voice was transmitted over radio, Nikola Tesla invented the remote control. In 1898, he demonstrated his remote control with a radio-controlled boat at an exhibition in Madison Square Garden. Realizing that people would not understand the idea of a … Continue reading "Wireless Remote Control"
Genetic TestingGenetic testing identifies genetic patterns, including irregularities. In 2019, genetic testing is typically used to search for abnormalities and susceptibilities. However, new treatments under development target the specific traits of patients or disease. These treatments attack and cure at the genetic level. In addition, genetic testing is entertaining. People find unknown relatives or trace family … Continue reading "Genetic Testing"
Processed Foods with Statistical Quality ControlBy design, countless food products look and taste exactly the same. Nobody opens a name-brand candy bar and wonders if it will taste different than any other bar they may have chosen. Each can of Coca Cola, Pepsi, or Guinness Beer tastes exactly the same as any other. All major food companies can thank Guinness … Continue reading "Processed Foods with Statistical Quality Control"
Movie SoundTalkie movies increased fun but also increased the utility of movies by enabling the transmission of news with pictures. Newsreels, that started out as shorts played before movies, evolved into the most effective communication method in history. Tigerstedt created the first documented movie sound technology, in 1914. However, his technology was not commercialized. Lee de … Continue reading "Movie Sound"
Chlorofluorocarbons “Freon”Freon is the brand name of a Chlorofluorocarbon gas. It replaced other refrigerant chemicals that were more toxic or volatile, including ammonia. Throughout the 20th century, Freon became the dominant refrigerant gas. The team that invented Freon was led by Thomas Midgley, Jr., who earlier had invented leaded gasoline. It was a joint venture between … Continue reading "Chlorofluorocarbons “Freon”"
Hybrid CornGenetic modification by people have produced virtually all plants and animals in the western world. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and brussels sprouts are all derived from a wild mustard plant in Europe. None of these vegetables exist but-for early genetic engineering. Similarly, all dogs, cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens are modern man-made creations. Scientists … Continue reading "Hybrid Corn"
ImmunotherapyIt’s common for meaningful inventions to take years or even decades to reach their commercial potential. At about 110 years from discovery to practical use, immunotherapy is the second longest invention we’ve found after the Suez Canal. Immunotherapy is the process of training the body’s natural immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells. The … Continue reading "Immunotherapy"
Vacuum CleanerVacuum cleaners lower the cost of cleaning and enables better hygiene. Booth saw demonstrations of machines that blew air to scatter dust. Reversing the airstream would allow air to be sucked through a filter. Collecting the dirt into a bag reduced the time needed for cleaning while increasing quality. Booth’s machines were full-sized trucks. Long … Continue reading "Vacuum Cleaner"
Synthetic DyeAs the Industrial Revolution gained steam (OK – bad pun), England’s population became denser. Eventually, the resulting pools of water bred mosquitos that eventually became a malaria epidemic. Perkin, a 15-year-old student, ran crude experiments to create lower-cost quinine, a malaria medicine. One of his processes accidentally produced a strong purple liquid. Useless as a … Continue reading "Synthetic Dye"